PM apologises to Rau, Solon

Prime Minister John Howard has apologised to Cornelia Rau and Vivian Solon, the two women at the centre of the Palmer Inquiry. The full report by former federal police commissioner Mick Palmer was released today.

Transcript

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TONY JONES: For the first time, the Prime Minister has apologised to the two women caught up in a series of Immigration Department bungles. The Palmer Inquiry into the cases of Cornelia Rau and Vivian Solon has identified a serious cultural problems within the Department and it has recommends urgent reform. The report has already led to a massive shake-up within the Department. Its entire leadership team has been replaced. From Canberra, Narda Gilmore reports.

NARDA GILMORE: Cornelia Rau was wrongly detained for 10 months. Vivian Alvarez Solon was deported. But for months, the Government has deflected questions and criticisms of the Immigration Department. That ended today, with the release of Mick Palmer's scathing report.

JOHN HOWARD, PRIME MINISTER: Both Cornelia Rau and Mrs Alvarez are owed apologies for their treatment and on behalf of the Government I give those apologies to both of those women who were the victims of mistakes by the Department.

NARDA GILMORE: The findings are damning. Most of the criticism is directed squarely at Immigration's compliance and detention areas. Mick Palmer describes "deep-seated cultural and attitudinal problems" and "a culture that is overly self-protective and defensive".

SENATOR AMANDA VANSTONE, IMMIGRATION MINISTER: Anybody who reads the report - and it does take some time, it's about 260 pages - will see that it is anything but a whitewash. It's is a full-on, full-frontal, boots and all assessment of what the problems are.

NARDA GILMORE: The report says that since 2000, immigration policy has been developed on the run. It's criticised staff training and management and recommends urgent reform. John Howard says that has already begun.

JOHN HOWARD: There will be a new team at the top of the Department to implement the changes in a number of areas.

NARDA GILMORE: Just weeks ago, Immigration's executive team appeared before a Senate inquiry. The Department's head, Bill Farmer, has since been moved. He'll become the new ambassador in Indonesia. Now his deputies, Ed Killesteyn and Phillipa Godwin, have also gone.

JOHN HOWARD: I can't think in recent times of such extensive changes in the senior leadership of such a large Department.

NARDA GILMORE: That's not enough for the Opposition. It wants the Minister Amanda Vanstone sacked.

TONY BURKE, SHADOW MINISTER FOR IMMIGRATION: The cultural problems of the Department - the culture of denial and the culture of cover-up - started with the Government and started at the Cabinet table.

JOHN HOWARD: This has been a difficult issue. Nobody's running away from the fact that errors were made, but I do not think that the circumstances for a moment warranted the Minister's departure and she retains my full confidence.

NARDA GILMORE: The company which runs detention centres hasn't escaped criticism and this afternoon GSL was targeted by protesters. Mick Palmer found the contract with GSL is fundamentally flawed and facilities at the Baxter detention centre, in particular, are inadequate. That's where Cornelia Rau spent four months in detention. While he acknowledges she wasn't cooperative, Mr Palmer says the system failed her. He says Ms Rau didn't receive adequate mental health care and was held for six months in a Brisbane jail for "administrative convenience".

CHRISTINE RAU, SISTER: Apologies, for me, have always been peripheral. I think the ordeal that she and Vivian Solon went through needs change. Apologies are fine in their way, but what we really need is reform.

JOHN HOWARD: Plainly, there were mistakes made, there were failures. There are changes needed, they've been recommended.

NARDA GILMORE: John Howard won't comment on likely compensation claims for Cornelia Rau or Vivian Solon. He says the Government accepts the thrust of the Palmer report, but Labor says it doesn't go far enough.

TONY BURKE: There needs to be a full inquiry with all the powers of a royal commission to get to the bottom of the problems within this Department.

JOHN HOWARD: Well, Palmer doesn't recommend a royal commission and we're not having one.

NARDA GILMORE: The Government has already acted on some recommendations in the Palmer report, with changes to the way cases are managed and improved training. There'll also be an independent review of areas within the Department and an assessment of staff skills. Mistakes aside, John Howard says public confidence in the Immigration Department remains strong. Narda Gilmore, Lateline.